The Doxology: Mass as it Relates to the Interior Life ~Part VII

Fr. Samuel Waters | The Daily Knight | Sermon

The Doxology

“Per Quem haec omnia Domine semper bona creas sanctificas, vivificas, benedicis et presta nobis.” The canon ends with “through Him, with Him and in Him be to Thee God the Father almighty in the unity of the Holy Ghost all honor and glory.” This closing is the most profound expression of the glorification of the adorable Trinity and the sublime expression of the offering of Jesus Christ made to the Blessed Trinity.

The Council of Trent says, “all our glorifying is in Christ, in Whom we merit, in Whom we satisfy, bring forth fruit worthy of penance which from Him have their efficacy/power, by Him are offered to the Father through Jesus and are accepted by the Father.

It is through Jesus, with Jesus and in Jesus that the members of the Mystical Body, fulfill their first and fundamental duty of giving perfect praise to the Blessed Trinity. Jesus alone is capable of offering God complete satisfaction (This is why we go to Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation). His is the only voice which can penetrate from this world to the Throne of the Divine Majesty, the only eloquent Word that can pierce the heavens. Only Jesus truly prays and beseeches in the name of all living beings. Jesus is the only interpreter, our advocate, our Priest.

The Mystical Body of Christ is a Doctrine of the Church

Jesus Christ is the Head of the Mystical Body. God made Him the head to which the entire Church is joined. The Church is Jesus’ body, the completion of Him Who everywhere and in all things is complete. The Mystical Body receives from Jesus its Head, the Divine Life which circulates through it all. If any member does not abide in Jesus, “he shall be cast forth as a branch and shall wither” (John 15:6). This member will no longer have Divine Life. What greater misfortune can there be than this? How are members to advance if they have no light? They will lose their way. We should go out to meet these that have no light in them.

What use are their eyes, if they have no light to show them the way. It is important to remember that

sometimes it is necessary to die that others may live. If your death means their redemption, it will mean your redemption also. If one member is ill, all others suffer with them. We need to be careful not to do anything to harm the Mystical Body. Whatever one member experiences, good or bad, the Mystical Body experiences. Our understanding of our individual membership and the Mystical Body as a whole should broaden our hearts and minds. We should often think of the Mystical Body as one body in which Christ is our head and we are the body. We need to seek a virtuous life so that the entire body may advance. This is the Communion of Saints.

Through Him

I am the Way. One of the reasons many souls make little progress in the spiritual life is that they have no understanding of God’s plan for them. Connected with that is that they make no effort to adapt themselves to that plan when they become aware of what God wants to them.

To know the Divine plan for ourselves is itself a gift. To have recourse to it is a source of Divine grace and to adapt ourselves to it is the core of being holy.

This Divine Plan can be stated in a few words: to re-establish all things in Christ.

He wants to give everything to us. However, He will only give it to us through Christ, with Christ and in Christ. Christ is the only Way. If we are to find God, we must follow Christ by accepting and practicing His doctrines and imitating His example. Without Him we can do nothing. With Him, in Him you can do all things.

The Divine Life in us is only a participation by grace, in the fulness of life which is in the humanity of Christ and flows into our souls to make us children of God. The Divine Life is of a supernatural order that can only be found in union with Christ. All the treasures of grace and holiness that God destines for souls are in Christ. In Christ we are made rich. Without Christ you can do nothing but with Him you can do everything.

With Him and through Him, your prayers, your efforts and all your actions are of great value. Therefore, in the moment of temptation, do not lose courage, continue with your good works. Do not say: “what use is struggling against temptation because I see no fruit or positive results.” You can do all in Him who strengthens you. It is for Him to give the fruits. You have to sow good seeds. It is difficult to go on struggling without seeing any fruits but that is of no importance if it is what the Lord wants. Never stop struggling against temptation or sin because God wants it. You should find consolation in the fact that God wants us to struggle through our temptation.

With Him

He who is with Jesus is on the path of Truth. Give thanks to God that He gave you knowledge of the Truth and now you can rest in it. When the rays of light came to your brain, did you not feel as if everything in your mind was turned upside down? Did it not feel as if brightness illuminated your intelligence and opened a new and unexpected horizon? A great grace you experienced. Be truthful in your actions. Everything you do, be full of Truth.

Your entire life must conform to the fact that you are a creature, free and rational, subject to the Will of God. You are subject to the fact that you are a son of God with your own special vocation and your own individuality. Lie to neither God nor man. Have patience and bear everything for the love of God. Embrace and accept the crosses that come into your life.

You do this because you see Christ in your cross and you are open to loving Him through your cross.

He knows exactly what you are in reality. He will see that you get justice one day. Men have no power to judge you. Be upright and straight forward always, despite all contradictions.

It is extremely important for your spiritual good that you should wish to be what you are with your own character and qualities. In our Interior Life we must preserve whatever is good in it. God, in creating us, endowed each of us individually with gifts, talents and privileges. Our soul has its own special natural beauty.

A soul can shine because of the depth of its intelligence or the depth of its will or the breath of its charity. Grace respects the soul’s beauty. Grace also adds a supernatural splendor to the natural beauty of the soul, enhancing it and transfiguring it.

You are what you are, nothing more and nothing less. Correct your faults and increase your virtues. Once you start dreaming of better situations, you stop trying to improve the situation you are presently in. St. Benedict advised his monks to have no desire to be considered holy before they were. “Do you think those false judgements of men can make you a saint, make you holy?” St. Teresa of Avila said “it is humility for each one of us to be content with the place in which the Lord has destined us in life.” That place is where we must sanctify ourselves.

In Him

I am Life. Jesus possesses in Himself the fulness of grace. As the Father has within Him the gift of life, so He has granted to the Son that He too should have within Him the gift of life. This life is Eternal Life. This includes all the perfections and all the beatitudes of Divinity. Christ possesses the Divine Life in Himself because He is the Son of God, the Word made Flesh.

Jesus wants us to share in His life. He wants His life to be ours through grace. Within Christ there are all the treasures of Divine knowledge and wisdom. This grace can only be transmitted to us through Christ. If we want to have life, in order to truly live, we must be united to Christ. Without Christ we can do nothing, but with Him and in Him we can bear much fruit. Therefore, let us do exactly what He wants us to do.

The best way to remain united to Him is to be united to His Holy Will.

In the same way, our sufferings and voluntary mortifications are of value only if they are united through Faith and Love to those of Jesus. We must abandon ourselves to them, bear patiently the sufferings which come to us everyday and accept them for love of Christ and in union with His Blessed Passion.

We must unite everything we do and everything we suffer to the deeds and sufferings of Christ. This is the way that all actions and trials become enormous and pleasing to God because of the merits of Jesus Christ. We can be saints only according to the measure in which the life of Jesus is in us.

Christ is The Way, If men walk outside of The Way, they will be lost for all eternity.

Christ is the Truth, outside of which is only error and darkness.

Christ is the Life, who delivers us from death.